The figures were released in the first National Report on Civil Registration and Statistics for the period 2021 - 2024, at the end of April. The report was developed by the General Statistics Office based on the national electronic civil registration database, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Public Health Service (VS).
According to the report, the average age of mothers at childbirth is an important demographic indicator reflecting the characteristics of the country's fertility patterns, reproductive health and demographic trends. In 2021, the average age of Vietnamese women at childbirth was 28.4; by 2024, it will be 28.8, an increase of 0.4 years after three years.
"This is additional evidence confirming that Vietnamese women are increasingly having children later in life," the General Statistics Office noted.
The report also pointed out a clear difference in the age of motherhood between ethnic groups. Hoa and Kinh women had the highest average age at giving birth, 29.9 and 29.4 respectively, 6 to 7 years higher than the La Ha, Co Lao, La Hu, Hre, and Xinh Mun communities, where women usually give birth at 23 to 24 years old.
This difference mainly stems from economic conditions, education, population size as well as development level. The Chinese and Kinh people often live in urban areas or have good living conditions, high education levels, and tend to marry and have children later. In contrast, ethnic minorities such as La Ha, Co Lao, La Hu, Hre, Xinh Mun or Mong are still influenced by many backward customs and practices, facing economic and educational difficulties, leading to early marriage rates as well as average childbearing age lower than the national average.
Vietnam's fertility rate in recent years has fluctuated around 1.8-1.86 children per woman, much lower than the replacement level of 2.1. Without appropriate birth promotion policies, this low birth rate may continue. This is a consequence of the trend of young people being "lazy in love, afraid of marriage, afraid of having children". In fact, Vietnamese people are getting married for the first time at the age of 27.3, an increase of 2.1 years compared to 2019.
Doctor Mai Xuan Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Communication and Education, General Department of Population, now the Department of Population ( Ministry of Health ), said that late childbearing comes from many causes, but mainly economic pressure and the cost of raising children, especially in the context of high living costs and unstable income.
"The rapid pace of urbanization and development has created work pressure that leaves couples with no time to take care of their children. Furthermore, concerns about housing and a series of living expenses such as milk, diapers, education, healthcare... in the context of inflation, have caused many people to delay and refuse to have children," the doctor added.
Women today are stressed with their role as wives and mothers. They have to work and take care of the housework, a heavy burden on their shoulders. They also face psychological and health pressure after giving birth, many suffer from depression and illness. Therefore, many people only want to have one child, or even choose not to have children to reduce the above burdens.
Experts believe that birth rate reduction is not only a problem in Vietnam but also in many countries such as China, Korea, Japan, etc. To increase birth rate and help population develop sustainably, two urgent issues are the need for practical support policies and changing social awareness. Many policies are being revised to encourage births. Most recently, the Politburo requested that Party members not be disciplined for having a third child. The Ministry of Health also submitted to the Government a proposal to develop a Population Law and a draft Population Law, which proposes a series of policies to encourage births.
Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/phu-nu-viet-ngay-cang-sinh-con-muon-410848.html
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